Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday Wisdom: 

10 Tidbits We Learned Living in Italy -- 

X. Not every oil is extra virgin. 
IX. Slow simmer creates the sauce. 
VIII. People, not just pasta, make dinner memorable. 
VII. Cappuccino for the AM, caffe corretto at night.
VI. Grandma knows best. Always.
V. Quality takes time, care and high standards.
IV. Treat strangers like family you haven't yet met.
III. Cheese makes pretty much everything better.
II. Build you life around relationships, not money.
I. Say GRAZIE daily--it will sweeten your life (and those around you).

Fun Fact

FUNFACT: 
Traditional mozzarella, produced in Southern Italy's Campania region, is made from the milk of water buffalo--not cows 🐮🚫. Buffalo milk is thicker and creamier than its cow counterpart -- making for an extra addictive cheese.

Fun Fact

FUNFACT: 
The lemons of the AmalfiCoast are a unique variety-- long and at least twice the size of usual lemons. They boast an intense perfume and sweet flesh. Cultivated in terraced gardens along the coast, the fruit are picked from February to October. The Amalfi lemon is a key part of the cuisine of this coast: the juice, the flesh, the peel, and even the leaves are used in its cooking.

Let's Plan a Trip to Paris

Let's Plan a Trip to Paris

Lesson #5 (last lesson)

Day 9: Easy to Evolution

Morning

Have a chill morning. In good weather, go to the Paris Plages for Seine River urban beach-combing, take a bicycle tour or stroll the Latin Quarter. In poor weather, make tracks to the industrial-design-themed Musée des Arts et Métiers (60 Rue Réaumur, Metro: Arts et Métiers.

Afternoon

After lunch, proceed to the Natural History Museum’s Gallery of Evolution (57 Rue Cuvier, Metro: Jussieu). You’ve never seen a stuffed animal collection like this one. It’s a solid two-hour visit and literal jaw-dropper.

Evening

From the museum, go left on Rue Cuvier until it dead ends at Rue Linne. Take a quick left on Rue Linne, followed by a quick right on Rue Lacépède. Follow this road to Place de la Contrescarpe, a circle surrounded by bustling restaurants and cafes. Go left on to Rue Mouffetard, a classic Parisian market street that was originally a Roman road. Pick a cafe or brasserie with an ambience and menu to your liking.

***
Day 10: Meandering Montmartre

Morning

From Blanche Metro station in Montmartre, take a picture in front of the Moulin Rouge’s iconic windmill. Then walk up, and I do mean up, Rue Lepic until it hits Rue des Abbesses. Take a right. Get baguette sandwiches for lunch and pains au chocolat for now at Grenier à Pain – arrive by 8am. Yes, there will be a line. Yes, it’s worth the wait.

Devour those ridiculously tasty pains while walking down Rue des Abbesses. Cross through Place des Abbesses to Rue Yronne le Tac, continue to Rue Tardieu and on to Place Saint-Pierre. Ride the funicular (spare Metro tickets work) up the hill to just below Sacré-Cœur.

At the gleaming white basilica that’s been lingering in the distance your whole trip, tour the interior, then line up for the dome climb, located down the stairs to the left of the main entrance.

Afternoon

Enjoy the epic view and eat your sandwiches – made with baguettes named the best in Paris in 2015 – on the steps in front of Sacré-Cœur.

Take touristy, meandering backstreets down – first back past Sacré-Cœur then left at Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, left at Rue du Mont Cenis and right at Rue Norvins toward world-famous Place du Tertre (peruse paintings, have a drink) before descending Rue du Calvaire. Explore Montmartre’s side streets. Shop. Get lost. Head back to Place des Abbesses to ride the carousel.

Evening

Eventually make your way back to Rue Lepic – where it makes a big dog-leg turn – for dinner atLa Mandigotte (68 Rue Lepic), an authentic haven in Montmartre’s touristy restaurant scene. Return to Blanche station for the Metro home.

***

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Let's Plan A Trip To Paris

Let's Plan A Trip To Paris

Lesson #4

Day 7: In the Garden of Paris, Baby

All Day

Pack a picnic lunch and spend the day in Luxembourg Garden(Metro: Odéon or RER B: Luxembourg). Enjoy a relaxing, no-itinerary day – catch a puppet (“marionette”) show, ride the carousel, pop a bottle of wine, watch old-timers play "boules," nap in the sun.

After you’ve had your Luxembourg fill, walk into the adjacent Latin Quarter for dinner. Exit the park’s east side at a roundabout on Rue de Medicis. Walk across the roundabout to Rue Soufflot. Walk three blocks to Rue Saint-Jacques and take a left.

You’ll pass the Paris-Sorbonne University on your left, a reminder of how the Latin Quarter earned its name. During the middle ages, this area was the rare intellectual hotbed and scholars at the time spoke the only civilized, written language in the West, Latin. All that Latin-speak earned the nickname that persists today.

Just before reaching Rue des Ecoles, take a right on Place Marcelin Berthelot until it ends at Rue Jean de Beauvais. Cross this street, take a slight right, then an immediate left onto charming Rue de Lanneau, a narrow, atmospheric corridor. There are several quaint restaurants, cafes and brassieres in the area, but I like the rustic hole-in-the-wall, Le Petit Prince de Paris (12 Rue de Lanneau).

Walk three blocks north to Boulevard Saint-Germain to take the Metro home at Maubert – Mutualité station.

***

Day 8: Art Blitz II

Morning

Begin the day early at the Orangerie Museum (Metro: Concorde) for impressionist and post-impressionist heavyweights like Cezanne, Matisse and Picasso. But everyone comes here for Monet’s spectacular "Water Lilies."

Afternoon

Eat a picnic lunch in the sprawling former royal grounds, Tuileries Garden, designed around an unbroken central axis that runs right to the Louvre.

Walk to the overwhelming Louvre Museum and follow one of the museum's excellent audioguide tours and don't miss the obvious: "Mona Lisa" and "Venus de Milo." Art lovers should consider a guide-led group or private tour because this place is immense.

Evening

Did all that art make you hungry? Go to the Louvre’s basement for quite possibly the best food court in Europe, Restaurants du Monde au Carrousel de Louvre (99 Rue de Rivoli). Choose from crepes, Indian food, whole-roasted chickens all in a convenient and affordable food court.

After dinner, head back above ground to Tuileries Garden for after-dark amusement park rides and French carnival sweets. You've earned it. Take the Metro home at Tuileries station.

Let's Take a Trip to Paris

Let's Plan a Trip to Paris

Lesson #3:

Day 5: Art Blitz I

Morning
Start at Rodin Museum (Metro: Varenne) – don't skip the sculpture garden, especially if the weather's inviting. Explore everywhere – the mansion’s many rooms and the garden’s far end.

Have a delightful picnic lunch discreetly in the garden, eat at the garden cafe or walk a couple blocks to picnic at Esplanade des Invalides.

Afternoon
From Rodin, go right on Rue Varenne and then left on Rue de Bellechasse, which ends four long blocks later at Rue de Lille and the Musée d'Orsay. Impressionists and post-impressionists – think Latrec, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas – dominate the Orsay, a gorgeously renovated train station. As much as I love the art, I enjoy the building even more.

Evening
For dinner, do a museum splurge in the Orsay’s aptly named, Restaurant du Musée d'Orsay on the first floor or the alluring top-floor brasserie, Café Campana. Take the Metro home at Solférino station. Better yet: Go for an evening stroll on the Seine River promenade or take the Solferino pedestrian bridge to Tuileries Garden.

***

Day 6: Overwhelming Opulence

All Day
Pack a picnic lunch and catch the 8am RER C train (leaving every 15 minutes) from Invalides or Champs des Mars to the Versailles Palace for all-day fun. It’s a 10-minute walk from the train station to the palace. After touring the palace, explore the expansive grounds – best done by renting bikes and rowboats. Find a quiet, shady picnic spot for lunch.

Stick around for fireworks and dinner at the palace’s Michelin-rated and expensive, La Veranda, or walk back to Versailles town to the exquisite, Les 3 Marches (22 Rue de Satory). Take the RER C train back to Paris.

When in Rome... You Have to Try This

When in Rome... You Have to Try This!

One of Rome's summertime treats -- fiori di zucca or fried zucchini flowers. They're light and airy. Romans like to stuff them with cheese and fry them until scrumptiously crisp.

So, to help you stay warm this week, we're sharing our Roman-approved recipe for authentic fiori di zucca. When the sunny days return, be sure to try this recipe in your own kitchen. Better yet, you could share it now to inspire friends to summer in Rome.

AUTHENTIC RECIPE FOR CRISP FRIED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS

When in Venice, savor some seafood.

When in Tuscany, try the olive oil.

When in Rome, eat fried food.

In the summer, Rome’s outdoor markets abound with orange-and-green zucchini blossoms . Roman like to stuff fiori di zucca with a bit of cheese, frying them until crisp. Both elegant restaurants and more rustic pizzerias serve fried antipasti in the Eternal City. Fritto misto alla romana might include mix of fiori di zucca (fried zucchini flowers), olive ascolane (fried olives), and mozzarelline fritte (fried mozzarella balls).

Below, we’re sharing our Rome-approved recipe for fried zucchini flowers. You’re not tasting Rome unless you try a plate of this gooey-centered fried goodness. Ask for the flowers at your local farmer’s market in the sunnier months.

FIORI DI ZUCCA ALLA ROMANA

* 10-15 zucchini flowers

* 2-3 eggs

* 1 cup flour

* 4 tablespoons of beer

* oil for frying

* 1 fresh mozzarella ball sliced into thin strips

* Anchovy fillets (or none if you don't like them)

Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre are 5 sea villages -- strung like pearls -- along the Ligurian Coast. Tucked in the Italian Riviera, these towns boast crystal-blue coves, cliff-hugging homes and Old World charm. Wine lovers can enjoy a tasting of local whites here at a family run vineyards -- built on terraces in the hills.

Fun Fact

Fun Fact: 
Traditional balsamic vinegar is only produced in the Emilia-Romagna region, more specifically in and around Modena. Unlike the cheap "Balsamic Vinegar of Modena," the traditional stuff is made with zero additives or extra sugar--just cooked grape juice. This vinegar is aged in wood casks for at least 12 years (and sometimes up to 100!).

Let's Take a Trip To Paris

Let's Plan A Trip To Paris

Lesson 2:

Day 3: Skeletons & Cannons

Morning

Arrive at the Catacombs by 9:15am (Metro: Denfert-Rochereau). Wander the creepy underground corridors for about 45 minutes (no bathrooms) before emerging a half mile away at 36 Rue Rémy Dumoncel. Turn right immediately upon exiting toward Avenue du Général Leclerc where you’ll make another right.

Walk five blocks down Leclerc until reaching Rue Daguerre. Turn left down this market street to purchase picnic supplies. Unlike Rue Cler, this is a locals’ scene; you’ll find better pricing on fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, baguettes and sandwiches. In addition to Boulangerie Lesiourd (24 Rue Daguerre), there are also several good bakeries on Leclerc near the Daguerre intersection. Shop with your nose!

Afternoon

Catch the Metro at Denfert-Rochereau by the Catacombs. Take it to La Motte Picquet Grenelle station, transfer to the line #8 and go three stops to Invalides. Exit the station into the wide-open embrace of Esplanade des Invalides, perfect for your picnic lunch.

After picnicking, head toward that huge golden dome. TheArmy Museum is hands-down Europe’s greatest military wonderland. From medieval jousting to WWII blitzkrieg, take your time going through this expansive collection. (Prefer making art to war? The Rodin Museum is next door.)

Evening

After exiting the Army Museum, take a left on leafy Avenue de la Motte-Picquet and walk about five blocks, passing the École Militaire Metro station (where you’ll be catching the Metro home tonight) to the even leafier Avenue Bosquet – take a right.

You’ll see several good dining options, but at the end of the first block on your left is Le Bosquet (46 Avenue Bosquet), a hip brasserie serving authentic French cuisine at cozy sidewalk tables. Onion soup, escargot, tenderloin, mussels, roasted chicken and fries – it’s all good here, my friend. Take the Metro home at École Militaire.

***

Day 4: Quirky Paris

Morning

It’s time to get weird in the Marais neighborhood, which literally means swamp. Once home to misfits and artists, it’s now one of Paris’ most exclusive neighborhoods.

Start at the Place des Vosges(Metro: Chemin Vert or Bastille) for Paris’ most picturesque square. Les Miserables writer Victor Hugo lived at #6, where a free museum in his honor stands today. Exit the northwest corner, going left on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois. Take a left on Rue Pavee, then a right on Rue des Rosiers.

These quaint streets were once the Jewish Quarter and are now home to boutique shopping and takeaway food. The Eleven Paris (38 Rue des Rosiers) boutique clothing store has graphic tees, sweatshirts and jeans. (I’m told it’s very hip.) Buy picnic supplies from the Mediterranean delis, kosher pizza and shawarma shops in the area.

Continue on Rue des Rosiers until it dead-ends at Rue Vielle du Temple, go left and then make an immediate right on Rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie. This is the Marais’ gay and artistic epicenter; you’re bound to see some creative characters here, not to mention shops.

Follow Rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie (and the helpful signs) to the Pompidou Center.Don’t go in yet. Eat your Marais picnic lunch at Stravinsky Fountain in the little square south of Pompidou Center. This interesting fountain is the perfect primer for Paris’ preeminent modern-art museum. Pop around light-hearted Pompidou for a couple hours and don’t miss epic top-floor views.

Afternoon

Exit the Pompidou Center at the northwest corner on Rue Rambuteau. Go right on Rue Rambuteau away from the PC. Go two blocks, then make a left on Rue des Archives. One block up on the right is the charmingly peculiar Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, the Museum of Hunting and Nature. Spend an hour in this lavish mansion amongst mounted animals, hunting art and a talking albino boar head.

Evening

Exit left back on Rue des Archives and take your first left on Rue des Quatre-Fils. Go two blocks, then take a left on Rue Vieille du Temple. One block up to the left on the corner with Rue du Perche is BREIZH Cafe(109 Rue Vieille du Temple), an award-winning innovative crêperie specializing in buckwheat galettes and cider.

Take the Metro home at Saint-Sébastien – Froissart station.

***

Let's Plan A Trip To Paris

Let's Plan A Trip To Paris

Lesson 1:

Okay, let's begin...

Day 1: To the Top

Morning

Arrive in Paris! Bonjour! Bienvenue!

Afternoon

Check-in to lodging. Explore your immediate neighborhood. Find a light lunch or snack. (Or have an early dinner on Rue Saint-Dominique now and do the Eiffel Tower after.)

Evening

Start your Paris adventure at the top – go to the Eiffel Tower(Metro: Bir-Hakeim) to get your bird’s-eye bearings on this stunning city. Take the Eiffel Tower stairs to the second floor before riding an elevator to the top. The exercise and fresh air will help combat the jet lag.

Afterward, walk southeast (away from the Seine River) down Avenue de la Bourdonnais, then take a left on Rue Saint-Dominique, home to a plethora of cafes, brasseries and restaurants. Try bustling locals’ favorite, Le Campanella, just off the main drag at 18 Avenue Bosquet (go right).

After dinner, continue back along Rue Saint-Dominique for another block, then take a right on Rue Cler. Walk this classic market street, buy dessert and picnic supplies. Take the Metro home at École Militaire. But before descending underground, look back over your shoulder: Are the Eiffel Tower's 20,000 lights on?

***

Day 2: Historic Paris Walkabout

Morning

Over breakfast (no later than 7:30am), download the JeFile app and use it to reserve a time slot for the Notre-Dame Cathedral Tower Climb. Arrive at Notre-Dame Cathedral (Metro: Cité) on the big Seine River island, Île de la Cité, by about 8:30am. Spend an hour or two in awe of Notre Dame’s Gothic interior, then make tracks for your tower climb reservation on Rue du Cloître Notre Dame (face front of the cathedral, go to the left).

After exiting the tower, return to the front of Notre-Dame and appreciate the busy façade and tower you just trekked atop. Find Point Zero, a round, silver marker in the ground showing the location from which all distances in Paris are measured. Take a fun picture here. Next, visit the Archeological Cryptunder the plaza a couple hundred feet away for a multimedia-meets-ruins taste of Roman Paris.

Afternoon

From the crypt, walk east back down Rue du Cloître Notre Dame until it ends. Cross over the narrow Pont Saint-Louis bridge. You are now standing on the other Seine River island, Île Saint-Louis.
This upscale neighborhood boasts gorgeous architecture, great shopping, fantastic restaurants, adorable ice cream shops and delicious creperies. Eat lunch anywhere along Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, which bisects the island lengthwise.

After lunch, leave Île Saint-Louis the way you came via Pont Saint-Louis bridge, but this time take a left on Quai de l'Archevêché and cross over the Seine River to the Left Bank, hanging a right on the first street, Quai de la Tournelle.

Walk along the Seine River. Peruse the famous Seine Booksellers until reaching Rue Lagrange. Go into the little park diagonally across, Square René Viviani, to relax beside Paris’ oldest tree. (It’s seen better days.)

Take the park’s northwest exit, directly across from Rue de la Bûcherie to stop in at Shakespeare & Company (37 Rue de la Bûcherie) bookstore. Can you feel the presence of Lost Generation greats, including Hemingway, who posted up at this shop? Fill your water bottles at the green fountain out front.

Follow Rue de la Bûcherie until it turns into Rue de la Huchette for a taste of the Latin Quarter. Huchette dead-ends at Place Saint-Michel. Go left to see the Fontaine Saint-Michel, then turn around and walk back to the Seine River and continue strolling the Seine River promenade, heading west away from Notre Dame past more booksellers.

If you’ve got the energy, take a right at Boulevard du Palais for Sainte Chappelle’s stained-glass extravaganza or escape the heat and crowds in the Conciergerie’s cool confines and murderous history.

Evening

Continue walking along the Seine River. Eventually, you’ll reach the Pont Neuf, Paris’ oldest Seine River bridge, but don’t cross it just yet.

Instead, take a left on Rue Dauphine and purchase dinner picnic supplies at gourmet outfitter, FRANCART Maison Gourmande (30 Rue Dauphine) or grab some takeout nearby.

Take your booty back across Pont Neuf to the little park to the left under the bridge at the very tip of Île de la Cité, Square du Vert-Galant. Spread a blanket in the grass or sit by the Seine and breathe it all in.

(I can’t promise this will happen to you, but one time my family and I were picnicking here when one of the Seine’s ubiquitous firefighter boats pulled up in front of us. Two firefighters jumped into the river; one swam ashore and winked at us as he got out. He proceeded to run up the stairs to the Pont Neuf, climb over the bridge’s concrete railing, execute a perfect dive back into the Seine and swim back to the boat, which then motored off.)

Catch the Metro home at Pont Neuf (finish crossing the bridge to the Right Bank and take an immediate left).

***